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Tropical Depression 24 is sitting southwest of Jamaica and is in warm enough water that it will probably become Tropical Storm Wilma.

This is a bad position, as, depending on how the steering winds build, it could go almost anywhere, including following the path that Stan took over Central America.

Update: [10/17/05] It’s officially Tropical Storm Wilma, and ties a record for the most named storms with a month and a half to go. No real indication where it’s heading but it will probably become a strong hurricane in a couple of days.

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This needs to be read twice to be understood: Elections Fraud Arrest of Alleged Conspirator in International Sex investigation.

Fifty-eight-year-old George Hoey Morris, of 385 Wade Morris Road in Eclectic, Alabama, and formerly of Okaloosa County, is charged with false swearing of voter information.

Investigators with the Okaloosa Sheriff’s Office say although Hoey was convicted of a felony offense involving the sale of illegal narcotics in Colorado in 1980, he registered as a qualified voter in Okaloosa County in 1999 and cast a ballot in November 2002, a violation of Florida election laws.

Federal authorities say the arrest means Morris will remain in detention in the Montgomery Alabama City Jail where he’s also charged with immigration fraud.

I’m including it because of the rarity of someone being arrested for voting fraud in Florida, and the fact the guy lives in Eclectic, Alabama. It takes some getting used to.

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The former SKB has a great Blue Heron picture. He is apparently going to be bird blogging on Fridays at Facing South.

If you like wildlife photography, don’t miss it.

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Given the continuing downward trend in his poll numbers, the Shrubbery keeps trying to arrange events that put him in a better light, but they aren’t working.

As Terry at Nitpicker notes he has Three Down and three to go for the complete set. Perhaps he should check with Colin Powell who apparently has some affinity for that attempt.

The latest failure, referenced in this CBS piece, Bush, Troops Have Rehearsed Chat, is insulting to the military.

While the 42^nd Infantry Division is now a unit of the New York National Guard, the members should have more regard for the history of the “Rainbow Division” than to participate in a political event.

When Rumsfeld has a chat with the troops, it got embarrassing, but it was real. Real soldiers got to ask their questions, and Rumsfeld gave them answers. Rumsfeld may not have liked the questions, and the troops may not have liked the answers, but the event gave Rumsfeld information he couldn’t get any other way.

Bush could have gotten his questions answered in the manner he wanted by watching the Pentagon TV channel. Talking to division Public Relations personnel is not the way to find out what is happening in a war zone and ordering the military to participate in staged political events is demeaning.

I doubt it was an accident that the rehearsal made it onto to the general network feed. I would guess that someone who was unhappy with what was going on arranged for the “accident”.

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